Two Americans found dead in luxurious Baja California Sur hotel as family suspects carbon monoxide poisoning
Police say they suspect the cause of death is poisoning and say there are no signs of violence
Two Americans were found dead in a hotel room in Baja Sur California, a Mexican state, on Tuesday (13 June), according to reports.
The two people were discovered in the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in the seaside town of El Pescadero around 9pm local time on Tuesday. Paramedics received a report of the two Americans were unconscious but by the time they arrived, the two were unresponsive with no vital signs, according to ABC News.
The Baja California Sur Attorney’s General Office told ABC News the two Americans were identified as John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 28.
Lutz is from Newport Beach, California.
In a statement posted on Facebook, police said they suspected their cause of death was “poisoning” as there were no traces of physical violence. However, authorities are still determining what “substance” caused their deaths.
The two had been dead “between 10 and 11 hours” before they were found.
US officials told the Associated Press they were “aware of the case.”
According to a GoFundMe, started by one of Lutz’s family members, Lutz and Heathco were on a couple’s trip together to Mexico when they began to feel sick and assumed they had food poisoning.
The two went to the hospital for treatment and started feeling better. But then their families received a phone call saying the couple had “passed away peacefully in their hotel room in their sleep.”
“We have been told it was due to improper venting of the resort and could be carbon monoxide poisoning,” the GoFundMe caption reads.
The Hotel Ranco Pescadero is a luxury hotel and a Hyatt property.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Henar Gil, the general manager of Rancho Pescadero said: “We are truly heartbroken by this terrible tragedy. Our hearts are with the impacted families and loved ones during this unimaginable loss.”
“Local authorities are still actively investigating the situation, and the safety and security of our guests and colleagues remains a top priority, as always. We can confirm there was no evidence of violence related to this situation, and we are not aware of any threat to guests’ safety or wellbeing. We are working to care for those who have been impacted and we are working closely with authorities as they conduct their investigation to understand the cause of death. Further inquiries should be directed to local authorities.”
El Pescadero is a town located between Todos Santos and the resort of Los Cabos in Baja California Sur which is on the Baja California Peninsula.